


Brilliant Beyond Brilliant

by yuletide_archivist



Category: The Parent Trap (1998)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-12-20
Updated: 2007-12-20
Packaged: 2018-01-25 07:16:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1638464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuletide_archivist/pseuds/yuletide_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Growing up is never easy, even for a family as close as the James-Parkers. (Femslash, twincest.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Brilliant Beyond Brilliant

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to x2xbandgeekx2x, who does not know how helpful she was. ^.^
> 
> Written for Alixtii

 

 

Annie packs first, getting all her things together weeks before. She makes lists and checks each item off: shampoo, sheets, textbooks, eyeliner.

Hallie tosses it all together on the second-to-last day. She's no doubt forgotten something-many somethings, in Elizabeth's opinion, but then again her more reckless daughter will no doubt manage to beg, borrow, or steal anything she needs once she gets there.

It's kind of heartwarming, nonetheless, to see Martin slip the girls twin packs of cards, nice, shiny, and new. And to see the matching grins-Annie's just a little more reserved, a little British touch, while Hallie's smile is Nick's particular brand of American-as-apple-pie trickery, and brash as the day is long.

Speaking of her husband, Nick looks distinctly uncomfortable; he is shifting from one foot to the other with a strange sort of look on his face. Lizzie comes up behind him, slips her arms around his waist, and smiles. "What's wrong?"

Her husband looks uncomfortable for a moment, before ducking his head to whisper in her ear. "I'm terrified they'll come back with a triplet," he confesses, and she just laughs and laughs and tucks a strand of grey behind his ear.

"I think I'd remember that," Lizzie replies, and then he's smiling, too. She leans her head against his neck, and lowers her voice so their girls can't hear: "They're big girls now," she reminds him. "They can take care of themselves."

"They've been doing it for the last six years," Nick warns, and then he spins her around and kisses her.

It's true, too, and they both know it.

~

The first few days are hell on Nick's nerves. His girls call every day, at first-truthfully, it's Annie who calls, but as the two share a room the point is moot. And then it starts to slowly change, calls go from daily to weekly, one call every Thursday night. A ritual of some sort-they're family, happy together, and that won't change.

When they come home for breaks, it's a whirlwind of laughter and adventure and the retelling of tales too good for the phone. His fears abate, slowly, and then it's just another line to add to the bathroom wall. Age 17, so-and-so inches, so-and-so centimeters, college. Another way the two have grown.

"So," Hallie says, smirking from ear to ear, "you have to hear about this trick-"

"Don't tell them-" hisses her sister.

"-We pulled on our teachers last week."

Annie gets up, then, leaves the room, and then Hallie's up and following her before Nick can get a word in edgewise.

"Well," Chessie says, when she walks in an hour later, "have the Terrible Twosome told you-"

Lizzie groans, most unladylike, as if sensing something in her voice. "Please don't tell me-"

"Midterms," Chessie clarifies, "Hallie got mono," and Nick reflects that it was only a step away from obvious.

Then he allows Lizzie to pour him a second glass of scotch.

~

Second year is when it all falls apart. Only a few weeks after classes begin, Annie comes back to the dorm with a strange look on her face and says, quite calmly, "I'm switching to the School of Engineering."

Hallie is just finishing up with her unpacking, haphazardly tossing things into the closet with only the vaguest semblance of order. It takes her a moment, before she flicks her hair back and stands up, eyes narrowing. "What?"

Annie's eyebrow furrows, little lines coming out to show her at her most resolute. Unyielding, from the set of her shoulders to the lock of her knees, and unconsciously Hallie moves to match her. "I've decided to switch my major," she repeats, voice clipped and refined. "I trust that you have no objections?"

Stop using the vocabulary, thinks Hallie, and her mouth moves before she even considers stopping it. "No, of course not," sarcastic, "Fuck, Annie, what, you thought I wouldn't have a problem with this?"

And she does, and she knows she shouldn't, but it goes against all their plans, the life they've spent the past three years carefully mapping out, and Annie's supposed to finish her degree in Business while Hallie carefully works on her own Pre-Law, and then they're supposed to take over the managements of mom-and-dad's companies. Continue the tradition.

Annie knew that. At least, she should have.

"I love science," comes the retort. "I can't stand this Economics, and the Accounting, and all the pointless numbers. I need Chemistry. I need it to mean something. These classes are driving me insane and you want me to keep them for some high school dream?"

"You had no problems with it yesterday!" The words are hot and harsh in her throat. They hurt to say, to even think. Hallie's mind is screaming wrongwrongwrong but she can't back down, won't.

They have fights, every day a few more little arguments, but they all turn out all right. It draws them closer together, compromises, give and take.

"I was a different person yesterday," Annie says quietly, but her twin isn't listening. "Nothing you say is going to change my mind, Hallie."

It's over, then, as quickly as it started. Annie leaves, out the door, and Hallie begins to throw her clothes back into the suitcases.

She can't stay here.

~

It's stupid, yes, and after an entire year of avoiding each other it simply cannot be helped. Last Christmas, and all the other holidays, Annie begged off coming home by volunteering with friends. All summer, no breaks: a camp counseling position, earning money to save and to spend. Stayed away from her family, but now it's Christmas again and she simply can't avoid it any longer.

Mom and dad are beginning to suspect, and it's been a hard sixteen months for Annie. She misses their puppy, misses her parents, misses Chessie and Martin in a way phone calls won't fix.

She even misses her sister, though every time Annie's tried to call, she's been met with an answering machine and no returned messages.

So she comes home, because even Hallie can't avoid the spirit of Yuletide, logs burning in the fire and carols all around.

Annie isn't expecting Hallie to walk in, hair spiked up and blue-blue, of all things!-pursuing a fashion degree in New York City, punk attitude down to the ring in her belly and the stud in her tongue.

Lizzie just sort of gapes, and squeaks out to Nick that this isn't the sort of turn she thinks her line is ready for.

Hallie just smiles, "That's why I'm starting my own, mom," and kisses everyone on the cheek, even deigning to drop her lips on Annie.

It's when she introduces her girlfriend that Nick's eyebrows raise, though their parents take it well enough.

It's Annie, who's left in her room after a too-pleasant Christmas Eve's supper, clenching her sheets and a strange anger bubbling in her chest-in her stomach.

~

Sandy has seen a lot of things in his life; no one ever seems to notice when a dog's around, and truly, it would hardly matter if they did.

He's the only one downstairs, when Annie comes down, headed straight for the kitchen and pulling out the Oreos.

He's the only one to hear Hallie, voice tired, hair slack: "I've got the peanut butter over here." She's got a spoon in her mouth, that awful polish on her nails is chipping.

"Thanks," Annie says quietly, taking the offered jar. "So," it's awkward, yet so much better than dinner, "you and, uh, Katie?"

"No," Hallie retorts quickly, before regaining her grip. "Well, yes, actually. You don't-"

"No problem," she answers quickly. "I just, it just-"

"It was you-"

"What, you aren't still sore over-?"

"It was always you. At home, you know, and then I went-went away to camp, and it was you, there. And we had that summer, and it was all going to be all right."

"Hallie, I-" Annie hesitates, and her twin plunges on.

"And then, growing up, I forgot. You were there, for granted, and it was good. Better."

It shouldn't make sense. Hallie is speaking nonsense, absolutely and completely. But then again, Annie's always known what her twin means, in any situation. Conversations, impossible to understand, simply unravel.

"Hallie, this past year... I'm sorry, you know?" And there it is. Sorry, but that's hardly enough.

"I had an idea," Hallie says, looking down. "A stupid, crazy idea, that maybe you and I could be together forever."

Annie's mouth is dry. "As sisters?"

"Yeah, sure," cocky, arrogant, and then, whispered, "no."

His animal mind may not be able to fully comprehend, but this seems a good time to exit. The last thing he witnesses is a flash of red and blue, fingers intertwined, and skin.

Freckles. He growls softly, and pads back out to guard the sparkling tree.

 

 

 


End file.
